Greater Manchester FinTech Ecosystem
This event takes place as part of the research project led by Whitecap Consulting which will result in the publication of an updated Manchester FinTech Report. pro-manchester is supporting this project as a promotional partner and this event will provide an opportunity to hear the early findings of the research, and to give feedback and input.
The Kalifa Review, published in February 2021, was the result of a strategic review of UK FinTech and highlighted Manchester and Leeds as one of three ‘established’ regional FinTech clusters in the UK. The review recommended that each cluster should develop a growth strategy, and this new report will provide data, analysis and insight to support the future development of FinTech in Greater Manchester.
Whitecap’s previous report in 2020 identified Greater Manchester to be the largest regional FinTech ecosystem in England. The city is home to the largest financial and professional services sector outside London, and is also the second largest PE hub in Europe.
The project is currently being supported by Bruntwood SciTech, MIDAS, Slalom and Vialto Partners, along with promotional partners pro-manchester and FinTech North. It involves detailed research and analysis of the ecosystem, including a programme of interviews and engagement via roundtables and events.
More information about the project can be viewed here.
About the Speakers:
Julian is a strategy consultant with proven commercial expertise across the financial services, FinTech and professional services industries.
Julian is a strategy consultant with over 25 years experience in financial services. Prior to joining Whitecap in 2012 he was marketing director at HML (now part of Computershare), and his career has also included roles at Boston Consulting Group, Nationwide Building Society, Mortgages plc, and Merrill Lynch. Whitecap is involved in two regional FinTech ecosystems, FinTech North and FinTech West, both of which it helped create and now manages. Via these initiatives, Julian is also involved in the FinTech National Network which was created by Innovate Finance, FinTech Scotland and FinTech North in 2019 to help link the national Fintech sector across the UK.
Sam has been at pro-manchester for 17 years and has been an integral part of its growth from a small, effective membership network to a sophisticated business development organisation. A firm part of the Manchester business community, Sam is a familiar face to most, constantly and efficiently working to bring businesses together in the city region.
As chief executive, Sam is responsible for the organisation’s corporate engagement as well managing all existing key partnerships and member relationships. Sam manages the day-to-day running and strategic direction of the business alongside Nicola McCormick – COO. They run the organisation together as equal partners with shared responsibility.
Sam also sits on the board of trustees for Forever Manchester, a charity that supports community activity across Greater Manchester. As well as this, Sam also sits on the Greater Manchester Economic Resilience Board, the Greater Manchester Organisational Representatives Group, the Manchester Business Sounding Board, the Bee Net Zero Advisory Board and the Manchester tech hub Board.
In 2019 Sam also became the Regional Deputy Chair of TheCityUK, where she helps to engage the national body on a regional level on behalf of individuals in the financial and professional services industries. In 2022 Sam was featured in the inaugural Top 50 North West tech Transformers list complied by BusinessCloud
Joe is a business development and marketing professional with experience in the professional services, legal services and FinTech sectors working across the North since 2016. Joe joined FinTech North as its first full-time employee in September 2019, having previously worked for the Institute of Directors and a global law firm. As Engagement Manager for FinTech North, Joe manages all event, marketing and commercial activity, and regularly supports Northern FinTech entrepreneurs and new market entrants.
FinTech North is the focal point for FinTech in the Northern Powerhouse. Since 2016 FinTech North has brought the northern FinTech community together via events, conferences, virtual seminars and trade missions. FinTech North’s objectives are to bring the community together, to develop the northern FinTech economy, align with development of the national FinTech sector and to promote the North of England as an international destination for FinTech.
Rachel is Business Engagement Manager for the Faculty of Humanities, within the University of Manchester’s specialist Business Engagement & Knowledge Exchange (BEKE) team; she is also the Business Engagement Lead across the University for FinTech, LegalTech, and Digital Trust & Security themes. The BEKE function provides a mechanism for improved information flow between universities and the wider-world, facilitating collaboration with business partners, to inform research and increase economic & societal impacts.
Beyond this Rachel is a Non-executive board director for business networking association Pro Manchester and a keen traveller and running nerd, acting as coach for her running club and as a regular Run Director for a local Parkrun.
Joseph joined MIDAS in 2020 and is the Business Development Manager for the Financial, Professional and Business Services sector and specialises in FinTech. Through his work, Joseph has a strong awareness and understanding of what FinTech companies are looking for when setting up or expanding into Greater Manchester.
MIDAS are Greater Manchester’s inward investment agency. Since 1997, they have helped hundreds of businesses successfully relocate to and expand within the city-region. MIDAS work closely with stakeholders and partners from the public, private and academic sectors to support job creation and attract capital and research and development investment across Greater Manchester’s priority sectors.
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
